Milestone BERTHIER Available Now!
Hello commander!
We hope you are ready for some single-player WARNO fun! Today marks the day of the new milestone BERTHIER, bringing you a new duo of Operations!
In today’s update, we present you two new, fully voiced, and scripted single-player Operations we already highlighted before: Backhand Blow and The Kitzingen Ruse.
Before continuing, a bit about the milestone’s historical namesake: Louis-Alexandre Berthier.
[h2]Introducing BERTHIER[/h2]
We always name our milestones after important French military commanders (chiefly high-ranking generals and marshals from the Napoleonic Wars). This one is no exception: Louis-Alexandre Berthier was born in 1753 in a military family. Although not noble, his father was a lieutenant colonel in the artillery, a branch where commoners could make a career in the royal army.
Trained as an engineer officer, he joined the army at 17 and took part in the American War of Independence with Rochambeau’s staff. Already a colonel by 1789, he held staff positions during the early Revolutionary Wars until appointed in 1796 as chief of staff of the Armée d’Italie, commanded by a young general Bonaparte. The two got along so well that from that day, Berthier would not leave Napoléon’s side.
[h2]An adept organizer but weak commander[/h2]
His power of work, quick comprehension of Napoléon’s intentions, and organizational skills made him the Emperor’s most valued assistant and a key cog in the Grande Armée. While Napoléon outlined his plan on a map in a few (very Corsican-accented!) sentences, Berthier would take brief notes, which he would immediately transform into dozens of marching orders, instructions, logistic movements, …
But Berthier was a pure “desk officer,” having barely ever commanded men on the field, only staff officers. When left to his own devices in Bavaria in 1809, he didn’t show any initiative, only implementing Napoléon’s outdated instructions. By chance, the able Marshal Davout was present, who decided not to obey Berthier’s obsolete orders and take matters into his own hands.
[h2]Downfall in Russia[/h2]
In 1812, during the retreat from Russia, Napoléon left the disintegrating Grande Armée to return to Paris and raise a new one. Before leaving, he appointed Berthier as the commander-in-chief. It was a terrible choice, for Berthier fell to his knees, begging and crying for Napoléon not to leave him behind … in front of the other marshals, who lost any respect they may still have had for the “pen marshal.” Napoléon stuck to his decision, but soon after he was gone, Berthier declared himself sick and left the army too, as did Murat, the next in line! Only Napoléon’s adopted son, Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, and Marshal Davout (again) remained firmly at their post and saved what they could from the Grande Armée of 1812.
Berthier was the antithesis of most other marshals: a cultivated and refined man of a weak personality and quick to break under pressure, but with immense organizational skills. Loyal to the end, Berthier took his own life in 1815 when Napoléon returned from exile in Elba and recalled him. Torn between his loyalty to his old master and his oath to the new king, he jumped out of a window to his death.
A testimony to this unsung but key man behind the scene: after his death Napoléon appointed another Marshal, Soult, as his replacement as chief of staff for the 1815 campaign. From the start, the Grande Armée’s movements were plagued with missing marching orders, delays, miscommunications and badly written orders, leading many historians to state that Berthier’s absence at his master’s side may have played a major role in the ultimate defeat at Waterloo less than a week later.
[h2]The details of BERTHIER’s Operations[/h2]
So, what can you expect with this milestone?
The Kitzingen Ruse
In this exciting operation, you take command of the VDV’s 900th Air Assault Battalion, part of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, in a surprise strike against the city of Würzburg in one of the very first actions of the war. Your mission will be to establish a bridgehead on the river Main and hold it against a mass of counter-attacking NATO forces, chiefly West German but also American, as you wait for reinforcements.
The daring VDV-led surprise attack near Würzburg during the opening stages of World War III can be read about in this this detailed DevBlog.
Backhand Blow
An operation that focuses on a NATO counter-offensive north of Hanau aimed at breaking the mass of Soviet armor threatening Frankfurt. This mission will see the 3rd Armored Division perform a lightning strike, with lots of tanks, against the Soviets.
The NATO tank-heavy counter-strike Backhand Blow mission can be checked out in detail in this dedicated DevBlog here.
[h2]Action Against Hunger Charity Event[/h2]
In case you missed it, the Action Against Hunger charity community tournament is back again. By playing both Steel Division 2 and WARNO competitively, you’ll be able to support the funraising effort for the Action Against Hunger charity.
The charity tournament event will take place on the 27th and 28th of May. The first day, the 27th, will be exclusively dedicated to Steel Division 2, while the 28th of May will be all about WARNO.
You can sign up for the tournament by following this link: https://playsdl.com/tournament/4th-SDL-charity-tourney.
More information about the fundraising can be found by following this link:
https://actionfundraisers.funraise.org/fundraiser/sdl. You can also check out this new video prepared by the organizer himself, the dedicated Protosz.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
Let us know what you think. And a gentle reminder. When there are incessant, non-stop demands along the lines of “but what about X, or what about X,” the Eugen team is small but very dedicated and very hard working. Everything the WARNO community brings up gets checked, reviewed, and vetted. Changes take time, updates require work. Moreover, some suggestions or comments might not fit our vision of WARNO or how to make it pass a feasibility, technical, or fun check. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
Don’t forget to join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.
See you on the battlefield, commander.
We hope you are ready for some single-player WARNO fun! Today marks the day of the new milestone BERTHIER, bringing you a new duo of Operations!
In today’s update, we present you two new, fully voiced, and scripted single-player Operations we already highlighted before: Backhand Blow and The Kitzingen Ruse.
Before continuing, a bit about the milestone’s historical namesake: Louis-Alexandre Berthier.
[h2]Introducing BERTHIER[/h2]
We always name our milestones after important French military commanders (chiefly high-ranking generals and marshals from the Napoleonic Wars). This one is no exception: Louis-Alexandre Berthier was born in 1753 in a military family. Although not noble, his father was a lieutenant colonel in the artillery, a branch where commoners could make a career in the royal army.
Trained as an engineer officer, he joined the army at 17 and took part in the American War of Independence with Rochambeau’s staff. Already a colonel by 1789, he held staff positions during the early Revolutionary Wars until appointed in 1796 as chief of staff of the Armée d’Italie, commanded by a young general Bonaparte. The two got along so well that from that day, Berthier would not leave Napoléon’s side.
[h2]An adept organizer but weak commander[/h2]
His power of work, quick comprehension of Napoléon’s intentions, and organizational skills made him the Emperor’s most valued assistant and a key cog in the Grande Armée. While Napoléon outlined his plan on a map in a few (very Corsican-accented!) sentences, Berthier would take brief notes, which he would immediately transform into dozens of marching orders, instructions, logistic movements, …
But Berthier was a pure “desk officer,” having barely ever commanded men on the field, only staff officers. When left to his own devices in Bavaria in 1809, he didn’t show any initiative, only implementing Napoléon’s outdated instructions. By chance, the able Marshal Davout was present, who decided not to obey Berthier’s obsolete orders and take matters into his own hands.
[h2]Downfall in Russia[/h2]
In 1812, during the retreat from Russia, Napoléon left the disintegrating Grande Armée to return to Paris and raise a new one. Before leaving, he appointed Berthier as the commander-in-chief. It was a terrible choice, for Berthier fell to his knees, begging and crying for Napoléon not to leave him behind … in front of the other marshals, who lost any respect they may still have had for the “pen marshal.” Napoléon stuck to his decision, but soon after he was gone, Berthier declared himself sick and left the army too, as did Murat, the next in line! Only Napoléon’s adopted son, Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, and Marshal Davout (again) remained firmly at their post and saved what they could from the Grande Armée of 1812.
Berthier was the antithesis of most other marshals: a cultivated and refined man of a weak personality and quick to break under pressure, but with immense organizational skills. Loyal to the end, Berthier took his own life in 1815 when Napoléon returned from exile in Elba and recalled him. Torn between his loyalty to his old master and his oath to the new king, he jumped out of a window to his death.
A testimony to this unsung but key man behind the scene: after his death Napoléon appointed another Marshal, Soult, as his replacement as chief of staff for the 1815 campaign. From the start, the Grande Armée’s movements were plagued with missing marching orders, delays, miscommunications and badly written orders, leading many historians to state that Berthier’s absence at his master’s side may have played a major role in the ultimate defeat at Waterloo less than a week later.
[h2]The details of BERTHIER’s Operations[/h2]
So, what can you expect with this milestone?
The Kitzingen Ruse
In this exciting operation, you take command of the VDV’s 900th Air Assault Battalion, part of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, in a surprise strike against the city of Würzburg in one of the very first actions of the war. Your mission will be to establish a bridgehead on the river Main and hold it against a mass of counter-attacking NATO forces, chiefly West German but also American, as you wait for reinforcements.
The daring VDV-led surprise attack near Würzburg during the opening stages of World War III can be read about in this this detailed DevBlog.
Backhand Blow
An operation that focuses on a NATO counter-offensive north of Hanau aimed at breaking the mass of Soviet armor threatening Frankfurt. This mission will see the 3rd Armored Division perform a lightning strike, with lots of tanks, against the Soviets.
The NATO tank-heavy counter-strike Backhand Blow mission can be checked out in detail in this dedicated DevBlog here.
[h2]Action Against Hunger Charity Event[/h2]
In case you missed it, the Action Against Hunger charity community tournament is back again. By playing both Steel Division 2 and WARNO competitively, you’ll be able to support the funraising effort for the Action Against Hunger charity.
The charity tournament event will take place on the 27th and 28th of May. The first day, the 27th, will be exclusively dedicated to Steel Division 2, while the 28th of May will be all about WARNO.
You can sign up for the tournament by following this link: https://playsdl.com/tournament/4th-SDL-charity-tourney.
More information about the fundraising can be found by following this link:
https://actionfundraisers.funraise.org/fundraiser/sdl. You can also check out this new video prepared by the organizer himself, the dedicated Protosz.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
Let us know what you think. And a gentle reminder. When there are incessant, non-stop demands along the lines of “but what about X, or what about X,” the Eugen team is small but very dedicated and very hard working. Everything the WARNO community brings up gets checked, reviewed, and vetted. Changes take time, updates require work. Moreover, some suggestions or comments might not fit our vision of WARNO or how to make it pass a feasibility, technical, or fun check. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
Don’t forget to join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.
See you on the battlefield, commander.